Flying Doesn’t Have to Be Frustrating

For the past two years, I started doing more flying than ever before in my life. Because of this, I learned airport and airplane etiquette really well, or so I like to think. If you haven’t flown before, or haven’t had a pleasant experience flying, here’s some of the things I’ve learned that have helped me stress less:

Keep to yourself:

I don’t know why, but almost no one in American airports wants to talk. This is actually fine by me because I’m very shy, but it’s bizarre to me that people in a place with so much movement and stories want nothing to do with each other.

Be as tidy as possible:

People get so frustrated if you don’t have all your crap in order. Every time I pack I’m reminded of the brilliant scene in Up in the Air, featuring George Clooney and Anna Kendrick; an expert flyer who has everything organized to perfection, and a new flyer who stumbles with her luggage. Another brilliant scene in the film (Clooney packing and maneuvering through the airport): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj_5Pgy-eVQ

If you’re traveling with a child, everyone automatically dislikes you:

This sounds awful, I know. Kids are great, but due to levels of tolerance already being way below where they should be, no one has any patience for children running/speaking/existing in airports. Don’t worry, your kids are still adorable, but please, for all our sake’s try to make sure they behave.

Don’t argue:

You can’t argue with any employees at the airport. Not TSA, not flight attendants, not the Jamba Juice employees, no one. Because no matter how many times you try to convince the guy that you’ve “used this same bag as a carry-on bag with this same airline before,” he’ll tell you to check it.

These are the things that come to mind immediately, though I’m sure there’s tons more to be said about airports. If you have any experiences you’re willing to share, or some more flying wisdom to put forth, please leave a comment below 🙂